Amos 4

“‘I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD.” (Amos 4:9, ESV)

The LORD had been using various means to get the attention of Israel. He brought famine so they did not have enough food. He withheld rain so their crops withered, and they were unsatisfied. He struck their gardens, vineyards and orchards with blight and mildew, and locusts consumed the rest. Yet with all this trouble, they did not return to the LORD. They held their course of destruction and would not turn from it. Therefore, they would soon meet their God for judgment. But all of this could have been avoided if they had only listened.

This reminds me of one of my favorite verses in Isaiah:

“For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’ But you were unwilling,” (Isaiah 30:15, ESV)

God has made it so simple. All of us like sheep have gone astray; each has turned to his own way. But if we return to the Lord and rest in His love, if we will quiet ourselves, put away the pointing finger, and trust in the Lord with all our hearts, then He will be our strength. Though our sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. But sadly, many people are unwilling to return to God. They do not want to change.

Is the Lord calling you to return to Him and quietly rest in His love?